Advancements in personalized medicine and other innovations are transforming the way dosage forms are viewed.

Reshaping Dosage Forms

This study aimed to develop a taste-masked drug resin complex using the ion exchange resin Kyron T-114.

Development of Taste-Masked Oral Dispersible Tablets of Cefpodoxime Proxetil

Novel genetic engineering technologies are transforming the design and manufacture of bispecific antibodies, which are emerging as a promising new class of biologics.

Frontrunners in Bispecific Antibodies

Topic

Jill Wechsler is Pharmaceutical Technology's Washington Editor, jillwechsler7@gmail.com.

Articles

Brand-name manufacturers seek to protect their products.

The Push for Generic Drugs Accelerates

Makers of injectable drugs can increase their market share and stay competitive by devising a product life-cycle management strategy.

Product Life-Cycle Management for Injectable Drugs: A Good Outlook for Proactive Market Players

Virus safety of biotech- and plasma-derived therapeutics is ensured through complementary manufacturing and quality control measures that include the control and monitoring of raw materials, the validation and implementation of effective virus clearance technology and the monitoring of final filled product for the presence of virus. Virus filtration, which is considered a robust and effective virus clearance technology, is a common unit operation in the manufacture of biologicals. In this article, we review the points that must be considered when selecting a virus-retentive filter. The areas covered include regulatory considerations; selecting, optimizing and validating a virus filtration step; and process scale implementation - areas that are critical to users of virus filters.

Virus removal by filtration: points to consider

Sylvia Findlay is Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Why do the biotech ventures mange to have such promising drug candidates while pharmaceutical R&D is facing a drug deficit?

New age therapies

Timothy A. Peterson, MChE, is an advanced product development specialist at 3M Drug Delivery Systems.

The needle and syringe have long been the standard delivery technology for vaccines. However, a confluence of market factors is driving new interest in alternative delivery systems that hold the potential to meet one or more of the following goals: improved antigen utilization, higher quality immune response, better stability and improved patient acceptance. Of particular interest are microneedle systems, otherwise referred to as microstuctured transdermal systems (MTS), that provide for targeted delivery of the vaccine formulation directly to antigen-presenting cells within the epidermis. This article provides a brief overview of MTS technology with an emphasis on solid-coated MTS for vaccine delivery.

Microstructured transdermal systems for intradermal vaccine and drug delivery

Patricia Van Arnum was executive editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Washington, DC (Nov. 20)-The US Department of Health and Human Services awarded contracts totaling $199.45 million to Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to manufacture 5.3 million 90-?g doses of influenza vaccine designed to protect against the H5N1 influenza virus strain.

HHS Awards Contracts for Pandemic Flu Vaccines

Alcan, China Biopharma, US FDA, MedImmune, more

November 16, 2006 Notes: Alcan Sells Wheaton Science Products to River Associates Investments, China Biopharma Completes Delivery of Flu Vaccine, More

Research Triangle Park, NC (Nov. 13)-Eisai Inc. broke ground here for a new pharmaceutical production and formulation research and development facility for parenteral oncology drugs.

Eisai Breaks Ground for Parenteral Drug Facility

Geneva, Switzerland (Oct. 23)-Aiming to increase capacity for producing influenza pandemic vaccines, the World Health Organization has identified strategies and practical solutions for reducing the anticipated gap in the global vaccine supply.

WHO Urges Immediate Action to Close Vaccine Supply Gap

AAPS, San Antonio (Oct. 31)-As biologic-based drugs become an increasingly larger part of pharmaceutical product portfolios, strategies for optimizing their formulation become increasingly important.